GREENFIELD — For the third time in four weeks, a local bank has been robbed at gunpoint.

This time, police have a suspect in mind.

At 2:20 p.m. Wednesday, police were called to the 277 Federal St. branch of Greenfield Cooperative Bank, for a report of a robbery. The other robberies occurred at the Main Street TD Bank, on Feb. 17 and March 3.

The robber displayed a black semiautomatic pistol during the robbery, said Detective Lt. Daniel McCarthy, the same type used in the TD Bank robberies.

Based on Wednesday’s investigation, police have identified a suspect, said McCarthy.

“We’re not releasing his name at this time, as we continue to work several angles (to apprehend him)”, said McCarthy. “He had some brief ties in Greenfield, and he was residing here temporarily.”

Officers issued a be-on-the-lookout order for a white Ford Explorer SUV that was observed leaving the scene of Wednesday’s robbery. By 4:20 p.m., the Ford Explorer was found parked at the Collins-Moylan Arena, next to Greenfield High School, according to McCarthy.

McCarthy said an uninvolved third party had driven the car to the arena after it had been dropped off on Linden Avenue by the suspect. Once at the arena, said McCarthy, the vehicle broke down. He said the driver then walked back to Linden Avenue, and was tracked there by a K-9 unit.

“It appears it was the vehicle used to flee the robbery, and then there was a switch-around,” and the suspect left Linden Avenue in a second vehicle, said McCarthy.

Greenfield and state police responded en masse to the Linden Street house, blocks from the bank, where they interviewed possible witnesses as troopers stood at the ready outside, with assault rifles in hand.

Nearby residents were concerned with the response.

“They came with 10 (police) vehicles, dogs, and assault rifles, and nobody said why they were here,” pondered neighbor Sharon Wilder, who came out to see what all the commotion was. “Why do they need assault rifles here? There are a lot of kids in the neighborhood.”

McCarthy said the suspect could have been involved in the TD Bank robberies as well.

“There are a lot of similarities between the three robberies,” said McCarthy. “Now, it’s a matter of articulating them, and packaging them up.”

State Police checked houses in Millers Falls and Wendell, but the suspect was not found at either location.

“The last report we have is that the suspect is no longer in Franklin County,” said McCarthy. He said state police and several other law enforcement agencies across the state are actively looking for the suspect.

“It would be nice if one of these agencies locked him up tonight,” said McCarthy.

Anyone with information on the suspect’s whereabouts is encouraged to call Greenfield police, at 413-773-5411.

David Rainville can be reached at:drainville@recorder.comor 413-772-0261, ext. 279